Speaking with elevator or lift, there are wall mounted hydraulic cargo lift elevator and passenger lift people often use. How to distinguish them and choose suitable lift for different applications? In this article, we will list 10 most important differences of these two lifts for your better understanding. Hope it can give you a fresh point of view of these two types lifts. Let’s start.
Article Contents
- Design purpose difference
- Lifting mechanism difference
- Structure difference
- Capacity difference
- Lifting height difference
- Speed difference
- Costs difference
- Installation condition difference
- Installation process difference
- Maintenance difference
1. Design purpose difference
Take it literally, hydraulic cargo lifts are for goods and passenger lifts are for people. Goods only lifts are for carrying goods, cargo, pallets, truck or other items only. People cannot take the goods lifts to upper floors. In Chinese special equipment policy, hydraulic lifts are goods lift only and do not allow to equip control panels in the platform cabin.
Passenger lifts are for passengers or passengers’ belongings. Manufacturers will mark the lift to be goods only or for passengers. Please do not mix the application.
2. Lifting mechanism difference
Hydraulic type lifts are hydraulic and electric system lifts, including hydraulic cylinder, oil tubes, hydraulic pump station and electric cabinet. It’s lifting method is to lift the platform by cylinder, chain, steel ropes and steel structure. When the electric cabinet gives signal to the pump station, it will press the hydraulic oil into oil tubes and then arrive in pistons. Then pistons stretch out to lift the platform together with the leaf chain and wire ropes.
Meanwhile, the passenger elevator consists of traction motor, steel ropes, wheels, switches and other parts. It is totally electric powered mechanism. It only needs electric power to lift up the passenger cabin.
3. Structure difference
Hydraulic goods lift platform is normally only a steel structure and open platform. We call these steel structure vertical lead rails. These lead rails connect to the working platform by chains, wire ropes and hydraulic pistons. It’s structure customization is more flexible. If customer request for full cabin, safety enclosure, or landing doors, we all can make design and give many options for clients to choose from. Most difference of structure is cabin size. We can make a hydraulic lift platform size more than 10 meters.
While passenger elevator consists of steel frame, stainless steel cabin, and automatic opening floor doors. This elevator is more advanced and high-tech products.
4. Capacity difference
Normally the capacity of traction type lifts is between 500kg to 2000kg and can carry 4-15 people according to the shaft size.
Hydraulic lift platforms are heavy duty featured, and Himor’s design can reach 500kg to 10ton. As long as the installation space is enough, we can design the lift accordingly. Sometimes people use the platform to lift up truck with some goods. In this case, the capacity needs to be truck self weight plus the goods capacity it carries. If the capacity is so much big, we will add anti-drop device under the platform. This safety design gives clients more confidence for using the lift carrying heavy duty items.
5. Lifting height difference
Basically, there is not much height limitation of traction elevators. No matter the building is 2 floors or 100 floors, people can install a traction elevator.
But height limitation is a weakness of wall mounted hydraulic goods lift. Because of sea freight container length, the biggest height of goods lift we produce is under 30 meters. This height is around 7 floors. From this point of view, people needs to use a traction motor cargo elevator in stead of a hydraulic type lift, if the lifting height is more than 30 meters.
6. Speed difference
As we all know that the speed of passenger elevator is normally from 1.5m/s to 4m/s. This is high speed for residential buildings, office buildings and other commercial buildings.
However, the other weakness of hydraulic cargo lift elevator is lower speed. Normal brand hydraulic lifts speed is around 4m/minute, and Himor lifts are 5-8m/minute which is higher than normal standard. This speed is a result of hydraulic system working principle. The circle of hydraulic oil go through the station and pump station lead to a lower speed result.
7. Costs difference
Distinguished from capacity and platform size, there are 2 posts type cargo lift platform and 4 posts type cargo lift platform. Obviously, the 2 posts type lifts are cheaper than 4 posts lifts. Also the prices are different because of lifting height, capacity, platform size and other optional configurations. Himor’s prices for such lift platforms are from 2,000 us dollars to 20,000 us dollars. In a word, hydraulic lifts prices are much cheaper compared with passenger elevators. Sometime it is no more than half costs if same heights. Also the installation charge and maintenance charge of hydraulic cargo lifts are pretty much lower. In cities, labor charges are the biggest cost among different industries.
8. Installation condition difference
Passenger lifts need to be installed in concreted shafts or steel framed shafts. And the total lift needs to be full covered. Also the traction lifts need machine room on the top and needs pit on the bottom. If there is no enough space, it is hard to install a traction motor lift.
Hydraulic goods lift platforms are wall mounted only lifts. When clients can find some position to fix the lifts at some heights by steel fixing parts, it will be easy to install. Although we need to fix the lift on concreted ground or in a concreted pit, we do not need to make a machine room for them. People can install the lift in warehouse, mezzanine floors, shops, plants, workshops and home etc.
9. Installation process difference
Mostly speaking, people need to install the traction elevators inside the building or in a closed shaft. Need to fix the steel rails with walls and then fix the cabin and system.
As for hydraulic cargo elevator, we can install them both interior and exterior the building. We use shot blasting and spray plastic material handling technology to insure the lift surface is durable. The painting can resist on the steel structure surface very well. Also we apply IP65 electric cabinet and cover the pump station in steel box. Most of Himor’s lifts parts are assembled before delivery. Like the platform, chains, wire ropes, position limit switches and electric lines. These help customers install the lift more easily.
10. Maintenance difference
As we all know that we need to pay much attention to passenger elevator maintenance weekly. The passenger maintenance team will do this work and check with the safety. If any technical failure happens, clients need to call the professional maintenance team to do checking and repair.
On the other hand, people only need to take less time to do maintenance jobs of hydraulic lifts. Like checking with the chains, wire ropes, and change hydraulic oil half a year. These basic maintenance jobs can be done by normal workers and electricians. Abroad clients can follow our lift maintenance manual to do the daily maintenance jobs easily. When meet any difficulties, Himor provides online or email after-service support consultation, even if the lift warranty has expired.
Himor Machinery is hydraulic cargo lift elevator manufacturer in China with more than 20 years design and production experience.
Those countries we have exported to are Philippines, Australia, United States, Netherlands, France, Bahrain, Thailand, Mozambique, South Africa and United Arab Emirates etc. No matter you need a simple and small goods lift, or a heavy duty cargo lift platform, we all can customize for you. Please check out from Cargo Lift product category in our website. Besides vertical leadrail cargo lifts, we also produce scissor lift tables, wheelchair lifts, mobile man lifts, self propelled aerial lifts and loading ramps etc. Himor’s production category is complete and thoughtful for your needs. More than 70% products of Himor can do customization in sizes, capacities, heights, colors and other optional specifications.
What should I do if I need a small home lift instead big and expensive passenger elevator?
Although we do not produce traction motor passenger lifts, we produce two types platform lift for people lifting, which is more suitable for home use people lifting. And surely the price is much cheaper for personal usage. Please read more from Platform Lift product category from this website banner. And leave message to us for your own design and quotes.
We are reliable hydraulic system lifts manufacturer, and hoping establish more partnership all over the world. Now Himor Lifts have cover more than 50 countries, and our lifts quality has been strictly tested. We sincerely invite friends who has ability of hydraulic lifts resale or installation to contact us and become our agents in your local market. Business contacts HIMOR.
